Birth Order

My youngest sister, Sarah (who took these pictures for me) and I are very much alike. This got me thinking about birth order, and if it really does affect our personalities. (I'm the oldest and Sarah is the youngest of 4.)

From my reading....First borns tend to be perfectionists, but can be bossy. Middle children tend to be peacemakers, but can also be in constant need of attention. Younger sibling tends to be independent, but can be more "free spirited" (aka wild.) And the only child tends to be more mature, but doesn't take criticism well.

The thing is....Noel and I are both first borns...and we are absolutely nothing alike. And Sarah and I (a first child and a last child) are very much alike...both with very Type A personalities that fit all the descriptions of a first child. The only difference is that she definitely has more "freedom" than I did growing up...because let's face it...she's the 4th child.

So is there any truth to this birth order thing? I definitely meet all the descriptions of a first child....but I think that would have would have been my personality regardless. Do you have the qualities of your birth order?

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57 comments
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I'm the oldest of three and I DEFINITELY fit the description of oldest. I do believe that people with similar birth order statuses have similar traits, but of course aren't all the same. I like being the oldest. I do think in addition to teaching me to be independent it also gave me a whole lotta patience. Its funny that she had more freedom as the 4th child. I remember getting mad at my mom for giving my sister (the 3rd) more freedom and she was like, "When the first comes along your terrified and don't let them do anything and when the the 3rd comes along your just like... she'll be fine!" haha.

I'm the second oldest of 4 but my older brother is really immature so I took the role of oldest child :) But I think I kept some of my peacemaker ways, and still crave attention. So I'd say quite possibly your theory is true, but i'm sure environment and genetics also play a big role in how we turn out as adults! Love this outfit.xx

Thanks for you sweet words yesterday! :) Loving the scarf...you look beautiful! I definitely think there is some truth to the birth order thing. My husband and I are too alike sometimes, and we're both first borns. There are some people that break the mold, but overall, it usually seems to hold true.

I am the baby. I am very free spirited and was more of a loose canon growing up. (I do aspire to be more type A and have surrounded myself with people who are...like my husband and my best friends). My brother is the oldest and he's type A to the Nth degree.It's more fun to think about this with my three girls. They are only 16, 14 and 10 but it's easy to tell how their birth order affects them. The oldest is in charge and knows who she is and what she wants. She won't back down...ever. The middle is very nurturing. She makes bank babysitting because all the mommies in the neighborhood love her. She is also the glue that holds everyone together. And the little one? Well let's just say I've got a long road ahead of me getting her launched into adulthood in one piece!!!

I am the oldest of SEVEN and yes, I can definitely be bossy, but I am often also the organizer for family plans. My husband is the second oldest and he is very diplomatic, but I think that he is an overachiever because he is definitely very protective of his younger siblings and many people think he is the oldest.As far as you and your sister, it's probable that there was less "competition" between the two of you growing up due to the age difference. My youngest sister and I are also very similar and we are definitely BFFs, which we try not to rub in our other siblings' faces. The reality is that when we were growing up, we (the older siblings) had many more fights and competition than me and the baby only because we were never in school together and we had no friends in common.

I'm not sure if it's valid because I only have one sibling...but I'm the oldest and fit the oldest child description. I'm a perfectionist, type A, stress out constantly, and I was always afraid of trouble. My brother is the youngest and he is a free spirit, he isn't scared of anything!

Yes and No. As a middle child I am definitely the peacemaker but I don't crave attention if anything I like to keep to myself. My younger brother however he is indeed wild and he does crave all the attention humanly possible. And my son is and only child a he is mature for his age and does not take criticism well. So maybe for some people the descriptions do fit.

As an only child, I definitely aree with the type you have listed. I like being on my own, but I also don't love criticism.

I think out of all the people I know, all the youngest children tend to be the most alike to each other. Except, a lot of times I don't think of them as independent because if their next sibling was more than three years old, they really had ALL the attention and bathed in it :)

Also with the birth order the amount of time between each kid makes a difference. If there are 4 years or more between siblings than the younger one often will have traits of a firstborn since the gap is big.

There is definitely some truth to it-- but like everything everyone is there own person.

I'm the oldest of 4 too! I'm definitely somewhat typical... bossy, independent, perfectionist. But, I too am the most similar to my youngest brother. He's organized and efficient, while the two middle siblings are more the "free spirits." It's kind of cool/crazy how different and similar you can be to your siblings!

Birth order & personalities are so interesting to me! I'm the first born and I'm pretty textbook for a first born. My husband is the middle child, but he acts more like a first born the majority of the time. Its almost like him and his older brother switched! Thanks for sharing!

I'm the 2nd oldest of 4 girls, and we are all different. But we don't stick strictly to birth order norms either. I'm as much a perfectionist as my older sister. And while I don't really like confrontation, I wouldn't say I'm a peacemaker (get me angry and I can hold a grudge like whoa). And I thrive on alone time, while my baby sister is the one who needs constant attention. I think it's as much nurture as nature/birth order in these kinds of things.

Ok funny story: I am the youngest of 4. I am wild and free and others judgements on me don't really matter to me very much. My eldest sister who is incredibly bossy and whom I am closest to always calls me bohemian. My eldest sister wishes she could let go more and I long for her femininity and classic elegance.

Oh girl, birth order is so interesting to me. I did research on it while I was in grad school and my siblings and I fit perfectly. I'm the 4th of 5 children, but there is a six year gap between my next oldest sibling and I. So I tend to be the peace maker personality (yes, I also am desperate to please others because I want to be well liked). However, by the time I was 13 all of my three older siblings had moved out so it was just my younger sister and I. In those years I fell into the oldest child personality. I became super perfectionistic and even (yes, I admit it) bossy.

So as an adult this comes out in a funny way. It is definitely my preference to be the peacemaker. I prefer to follow and let someone else take the lead. However, if no one else steps up to take the lead, then I automatically nominate myself. It's that weird middle-child-turned-oldest-child-by-default syndrome. ;) Anyway, way more than you wanted to know, I'm sure. But it's just such an interesting topic to me!

I think it's interesting how many couples are in the same birth order in their families. Hal and I are both second to youngest. Both of his parents are youngest, and his brother and sister in law are both oldest. Maybe there is something to it because you're somewhat alike to someone with the same birth order so you get along well.

There is only my brother and I, and we are nearly 6.5 yrs apart... but I definitely had my "wild child" days and went through THAT phase, ha! My brother could get away with murder though... so not fair ;)

my children are pretty much like that. the first being bossy kind of, the middle one wanting the attention all the time, and my little one is independent and very wild. this kid never stops! haha.i am the oldest of three girls, but never really considered myself bossy. that might be a question for my sisters. ha! but independent i am. i like to do things on my own and rarely ask for help. it's funny how siblings can be so, so different from one another!

My brother and I are kind of the opposite from our birth order descriptions. He's the oldest and is bad with money, messy, and has a flair for the dramatic. I'm organized, financially responsible, and while I have my share of emotion and drama I'm pretty logical. Who knows!

I always find birth order fascinating. My sister and I live up to our order. I'm the bossy, perfectionist one, and she's the independent free spirit. Although sometimes she can be more of a perfectionist than I am.

I'm the oldest of 5 and my husband is the youngest of 5. Getting married, I totally thought that bc of him being the youngest that I should expect him to have some "bratty" tendencies. I was so surprised to find out he has none! He is so selfless and compassionate and puts up with my "first child" bossy ways. We've meshed better than I had anticipated. This is an interesting thought, though :)

I am so utterly fascinated by birth order (horoscopes too, but that is a different story for a different day) - I even wrote my psychology thesis paper on birth order in college. I am definitely a "youngest child", but my parents adopted when I was in college, making me now the middle child. By bf is a twin, so his birth order personality is super interesting too - he is still under observation to determine if he is oldest or youngest acting!xx Here&Now

Have you read the birth order book? I think with more children, the rules of birth order dissipate some. I'm actually struggling with that right now, as my kids are showing the classic signs of their birth order. I'm a first born and while I don't have a type A personality, I'm def more self centered that my middle-child husband. :)

I vote yes, there is absolutely something to this. I definitely act like an oldest child - and a good number of my friends are oldest children, or youngest with a large age gap, or the middle child peacemakers. I also have realized that it is very unlikely in life that I date a youngest child, just because of the way the oldest and youngest child personalities come together. Great insight, I love thinking about things like this!!